


Molded by No One

by voleuse



Category: Chuck (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-02-03
Updated: 2008-02-03
Packaged: 2017-10-04 02:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voleuse/pseuds/voleuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>Disciplined minds finely honed will grow in carefully planted rows</em>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Molded by No One

**Author's Note:**

> Pre-series. Title and summary adapted from Mitsuye Yamada's _The Foundation_.

Anna made the dean's list five semesters in a row before she got tired of it. She made the decision on a Thursday afternoon, because there were no windows in the lecture hall, molecular biology always ran ten minutes over, and she hated waiting in line at the cafeteria.

She closed her laptop, then stumbled over the feet of the three people between her and the aisle. She got lost twice while trying to drive from the science complex to the administration building, but thirty-seven minutes later, she had dropped molecular biology and biochemistry, and added Gothic literature and a seminar on machine learning.

Anna also dropped out of the string quartet, and that's probably why her mom freaked out when they talked on the phone three days later.

*

 

The manager at the Buy More took a long time to read her resumé, which was weird, since she didn't think a page would take more than a minute or so.

"You have no work experience," he finally said.

Anna relaxed, slouching. "Well, yeah. Is that bad?"

"Yes," he gritted out, "it is."

"Okay." Anna considered the problem for a moment. "I guess I'd suck as a salesperson, but I'm good with computers." She reached across the desk and flipped the sheet over for him. "That's a list of all the classes I've taken."

There was another long pause, and she resisted the urge to say anything else. Instead, she imagined he was her violin teacher, or maybe one of her great-uncles, and when he eyed her again, she gave him her most responsible-looking smile.

He sighed. "Do you know how to rebuild a hard drive?"

"Yes."

"And you don't mind working the lunch shift?"

"No."

He scribbled something on her application, then handed it over. "Go talk to HR."

*

 

On her second day of work, one of the Nerd Herders handed her a laptop sealed in a plastic bag. "It's completely fragged." He smirked. "You won't know how to fix it."

Anna raised her eyebrow. "We'll see about that."

Twenty minutes later, she resealed the bag and waggled her fingers, palm up.

He slapped ten bucks into her hand, and to Anna's surprise, he smiled. "Welcome to the team."

"Thanks," she said.

"Are you free for drinks tonight?" he replied, and leaned towards her.

A second later, he was on the floor, groaning. The tall dude, Chuck, passed by and paused. "I told you she'd kick your ass, Lester."

Anna giggled, and Lester handed Chuck five dollars.


End file.
